Today was our first day going to the training center in Hullyani alone. I woke up before anyone in my family at 6:00 to a knock at the front gate. Unsure of what to do, I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth. I thought perhaps it was one of the other PCT’s so I opened the door. I was still half asleep and when they were asking for Don Zenobio, I didn’t know what to tell the couple at the door. I ended up having to wake Don Zenobio and Doña Victoria up… that was only the beginning to a long day! I picked up my friend Jonathan at the end of my street and we began walking where we would meet Shannon and take the trufi to Quiacollo, and then on to Hullyani. My other closest neighbor has been in the hospital for 3 days with salmonella poisoning and chest congestion, so I was rather disconcerted when Shannon told us that she too had been ill all night! I have thus far felt fine, if not perfect, so I hope my luck continues!
Once at the Peace Corps training center, I had Spanish class followed by culture, safety, medical, and community development classes. Each Wednesday I will be going to training, and it is a great place to catch up with everyone that I never see on a daily basis! After class we all went to visit David at the hospital to cheer him up. Hopefully he will be home and in good health tomorrow! Most everyone has a cell phone here, so I made the plunge back to modernity this evening after putting all of my energy into a conversation in Spanish about phones, prices, guarantees, credits, etc.! I was with 3 others at this point, and despite today being a fellow volunteer’s birthday, we headed home. The hour long trufi ride was rather cramped, uncomfortable, and host of other things, but seeing Coch fade into the distance- seeing the true lives of Bolivians as they make their way home each night- made it all worth while; I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. After the other 3 got off the trufi in their campo, Marquina, I continued along for about 15 minutes. When my stop came, I can’t say that I wasn’t scared, because these steps were really the first ones that I had made really on my own… I have not felt unsafe in my community yet, and while I wasn’t going to let my guard down, I also was not going to be mistrusting of my neighbors. This being said, I was thrilled crossing the threshold of mi casa and seeing my little Anabel run towards me, yelling “Hola, Clarita!!!” This made an exhausted gringita feel like she was really home.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment